


Rule

by yeaka



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Gen, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2021-01-24 01:47:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21330235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeaka/pseuds/yeaka
Summary: Captain Tuvok’s first officer disagrees.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	Rule

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Star Trek or any of its contents, and I’m not making any money off this.

When the digital bell rings, Tuvok answers, “Come in.” 

The doors smoothly slide apart, and his first officer strolls into his ready room, posture straight and uniform free of any wrinkles. She has her hair done up in a tight bun today, twisted with almost Vulcan precision. She stops before his desk and greets, “Captain.”

“Commander,” Tuvok returns. “I take it you have news?”

“A class M planet has shown up on sensors. According to Neelix, it’s a safe, pleasant place with breathable atmosphere and, possibly, enough edible flora to extend our rations by several months.”

Tuvok nods and deduces, “We will set course for it.” Then he turns back to his computer, fully expecting her to leave and carry out his order.

She doesn’t.

She adds, “I think we should schedule shore leave for the crew.”

Tuvok pauses. He glances up at her, his neutral expression countering the slight smile on her lips. She still looks perfectly professional, but he’s known her long enough to recognize what’s brewing under the surface. He answers predictably, “Request denied.”

“It would greatly improve morale,” she says, as though he hasn’t just dismissed her. He knew she was ready for an argument. Tuvok strongly prefers _never_ to argue, especially with his own crew, but that isn’t so easy when more than half the crew are humans. At least most of them accept the futility of quarrelling with a Vulcan. Kathryn doesn’t.

He tells her, “I respect your opinion, but you are, on occasion, prone to thinking with your emotions. This is why I am captain.”

Kathryn sinks into the chair behind her. She pulls it up to his desk and leans across, completely undeterred by his protest. He’s told her before that he thinks her often reckless, to which she’s answered that _everyone_ is reckless by his standards, and sometimes risks are necessary. She tells him, “And I respectfully offer a second opinion; that’s why I’m your right hand man.”

Tuvok never understood that expression. It seems especially odd on Kathryn, given that she isn’t a man at all. But she is full of mysteries, even though he often feels like he knows her as well as himself. He’s tempted to remind her that they’re on a mission—they have a home to return to, and it’ll take long enough without extra stops. He knows she’ll say shore leave won’t take that long, and the human members of the crew might go mad without it. He knows that they’ve been cagey.

He weighs out his options. If he weren’t Vulcan, he might stand his ground simply out of pride. But pride doesn’t factor into his decisions. He agrees, “We will allow for _minimal_ shore leave _if_ an initial survey proves favorable conditions.”

Kathryn nods. She stands up from the desk and straightens the bottom of her uniform. She answers, “You’ve made the right decision, Captain.” Her grin has twitched a little wider, though still kept under control. 

He watches her leave. Then he rises and follows her out onto his bridge, where the delta quadrant’s waiting.


End file.
